Incorporate More Exercise Into Your Day With These Simple Steps

HealthBy Lilly BabineauOn October 16, 2011

With the fast paced world families are living in it can be difficult to insure you’re getting enough high quality exercise on a weekly basis. The good news is that if you start to form new habits surrounding your health you’ll not only feel better, you’ll drop some unwanted pounds. Here are a few ways to get you squeezing some extra steps into your busy day.

Park Further Away From The Store

This may seem overstated as everyone tells you to try this. But truly, how often do you find yourself circling the lot looking for a spot closest to the door on the grounds you’re in a hurry. Does it ever feel like it took longer to find the spot then it would to have parked at the furthest end of the lot and just hoofed it? Try forcing yourself to do this a few times and you’ll be surprised how quickly it becomes a habit and how the benefits of these short, frequent walks can add up.

Use The Stairs Instead Of The Elevator

This is another one that is often talked about but much less often used. The next time you are waiting at the elevator make an attempt to use the stairs. If you find this to be a difficult task to get yourself to try, then choose the ‘little bit,’ option. This means that you make a deal with yourself to take the stairs for two flights the elevator for the other two. Nine times out of ten you’ll take the stairs the whole way (at least when you choose this route first) and you’ll be well on your way to getting some light exercise in your day.

Take A Walk On Your Lunch Break

If you’re the type of person who always packs your lunch and even if you’re not, it’s a great idea to get outside and enjoy the fresh air. This will help you in two ways: First, you’ll feel you truly got out of the work environment and therefore be more relaxed. Second, you will have spent a few extra steps getting outside and chances are taking that quick walk will seem less daunting.

Invest In A Pedometer

These handy little gadgets can be purchased for a small amount and can be a huge benefit for your health. Having something on your waste that tells you how many steps you’ve taken in the day can help you make a goal of increasing that the next day. With this kind of competition against yourself you’ll be working hard to get more steps in each day. What a great health benefit!

Get A Buddy

Having a friend who is also committed to getting healthy exercise daily can be just the trick you need to increase your aerobic activity. People can be naturally competitive and are certainly social. This can make it a no-brainer that having an exercise pal will help you maintain your goals a lot easier.

Keep A Fitness Journal

If you’re looking to go on a diet, most professionals will tell you that you need to keep a journal about what you eat every day. The same can be said for exercise. If you start writing down how much or how little you’re getting everyday you’re going to be more likely to pay attention to doing an activity you can write down. This is also part of the competition side of things. If you open your journal up each day you’re going to want to have something to put on the pages. Now all you have to do is get up and take that quick walk around the block!